The present invention relates in general to the field of digital media and, more particularly, to a media server system and process having device independent near-online storage support.
Digital media files are widely used to record a variety of media assets-for playback on computer systems. A decoder or player is a software or hardware component, such as a software application or hardware card, that receives digital media data and renders it for playback, for example, as a displayable image, playable audio or a combination of the two. One distribution method used for digital media files is a media server which can hold a large repository of media files. The media files can be streamed as digital packets across a network connection, such as a local area network, wide area network or the Internet, to client systems for playback. The media server usually divides the media files into data packets which are then delivered to the client system across the network connection.
Such digital media streaming systems typically stream content from data stored on hard disk drives. However, in an installation with a very large number of digital media assets (e.g., government agencies, various studios, etc.), it may not be practical to have all of the desired asset content stored online on hard disk drives. Yet there remains a need to be able to stream any of the desired assets with a short latency. To address this problem, various near-online storage devices are available that provide tertiary storage for digital media assets. These devices typically provide permanent storage for media assets in storage devices such as CD-ROMs and magnetic tape devices.
One significant problem that arises is that near-online storage devices can vary widely in terms of the mechanisms employed for the actual transfer of data. Further, there are variations in the interface provided for controlling the devices and the transfer of data and in the performance characteristics. Thus, it can be problematic for a digital media server system to provide support for the various possible types of near-online storage devices.
In accordance with the present invention, a media server system and process are disclosed that have device independent near-online storage support and that provide advantages over conventional digital media server systems.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a media server system and process have device independent near-online storage support. A plurality of media assets are stored in online storage, and a plurality of media assets are stored on tertiary storage devices in tertiary storage to provide near-online storage. A media server, having access to the online storage and the tertiary storage, receives a user request for a media asset. The media server then determines whether the requested media asset needs to be loaded from the tertiary storage. If so, the media server allocates space in the online storage for the requested media asset. A transfer process specific to the tertiary storage devices is then used to transfer content of the requested media asset to the online storage
A technical advantage of the present invention is the ability for a media server system to remain device independent with respect to near-online storage devices and be able to interface with such devices uniformly. At the same time, the media server system has the ability to exploit unique performance enhancement opportunities of the near-online storage devices.
It is another technical advantage that the media server system has the ability to accommodate unforeseen technological innovations and to integrate with new forms of near-online storage devices.
Other technical advantages should be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the figures, description and claims.